Breakthrough
by n1n93
Summary: Science is suffering and no body knows that fact more than Angela Ziegler. Here are some missteps on the road to discovery.
1. Boo!

**~* First post in a little while o Kinda short but I intend on continuing it! Thank you for reading!*~**

A young Angela Ziegler sits at her desk in a small office stashed in the corner of the main med bay. She was busy finalizing her nanobot revival project. It would change everything on the battle field by giving a second chance to any downed friendly. Fewer casualties.

Stifling a yawn she lifts a canister of the nanobots, ready to transport them to a machine that would allow her to make a few final tweaks on the other side of the la- "BOO!"

Angela flinched at the sudden appearance of Fareeha, Jesse not far behind. They were both cackling like mad men as the canister crashed to the floor, shattering the glass and sending a thick dust into the air. The bio-hazard alarm went off immediately, the door to her office sealing the three of them in as the dust swirls around Angela.

The blonde doctor gasps, the nanobots invading her body at an alarming rate. It felt as though her skin was on fire. "Angie!" She heard the terrified cry before collapsing to the floor, her skin glowing a dull orange.

"Don't- Don't go near her kid."

"She's hurt Jesse!"

"We could make it worse."

Angela tried to focus on their voices over the thunderous sound of her own heartbeat, her breathing quick. She groans the taste of copper sharp on her tongue. "G-Get out… Get Out…"

"The doors sealed we can't." Jesse's voice is shaky. She can almost imagine his face… He jumps as someone pounds on the door, holding Fareeha closer. Through the glass he can see Jack Morrison and Ana Amari, the latter of the two already trying to pry the door open. "Angie what's goin' on?"

Angela hisses as the dull glow of her skin starts to pulse along with her heart beat, "GET OUT!" She bellows and that has a fresh wave of tears pouring from Fareeha's eyes. The blonde girl never once raised her voice. Now she lay writhing in pain, her face contorted in agony. "PLEASE GET OUT!"

Jesse turns to help Ana pry the door apart, grunting with the effort. Jack joins on the other side and with a great amount of effort they manage to get the door open enough for the two to slip through. Fareeha is hesitant to leave, her brown eyes locked on Angela. Ana pulls her from the room, letting the door slam shut. "Angela! We have to help her!" She cries, reaching out for the door.

"Alssamt alan…" Ana murmurs softly, hugging the girl closer to her. She murmurs words of comfort to the younger girl, glancing to Jack to see if he had thought up any sort of plan. He shakes his head, still trying to get in touch with Winston.

Angela felt as though her body were being pulled apart and remade from the inside. Over and over and over again. She screamed as the minutes ticked by, her throat going raw. She lost track of time at some point, drifting in and out of consciousness and on the verge of losing herself completely.

Just as soon as it happened the heat disappeared, the dull glow slowly puttering out from beneath her pale skin. She felt incredibly cold lying on the office floor, her hair sticking to her clammy face. The bio-hazard alarm cut out and the door swished open. She was vaguely aware of someone touching her face. Angela shuddered, losing her struggle to stay conscious.

 **~* Thank you for reading!*~**


	2. The Morning After

**~* Babies first breakthrough!*~**

The first thing she is aware of is the dull ache of her limbs. Floating toward consciousness she felt as though her mind had been stuffed full of cotton balls, her eye lids weighed with lead. Barely brushing the surface she became aware of the sounds around her. The soft beeping of a heart monitor. The quiet hum of machinery.

"Mama she's waking up!" The sudden voice from her side sent shock waves of pain through her aching head.

"Hush now habibi give her time…" Says a softer voice. Angela took a few deep breaths, her face scrunching in discomfort. Just as she starts to really grip at consciousness the black void pulls her down once more.

She stirs again, with no idea how long had passed since she was last clinging to consciousness. A shiver runs down her spine, a light breeze drifting through the room. Her mind is clearer now, blue eyes fluttering open to take in her surroundings.

It takes her longer than she would like to admit to recognize that she is laying in one of the private medbay rooms. The flutter of the curtain draws her attention to the open window, dull blue transfixed on the dark horizon outside. She loses track of time watching the sky start to brighten, the sun rising ever so slowly on a lazy morning.

The click of the door being opened pulls her tired eyes from the scenery where she finds a smiling cowboy standing just at the end of her bed, his hat pressed to his chest. "Well I'll be… Look who finally decided to rise and shine."

Angela manages a faint smile, resting her head back against the pillows. "Morgen…" She croaks, she hadn't realized how dry her throat was. Jesse gets the hint, pouring her a glass of water from the pitcher on her bedside table. He's not so good at helping her drink from the glass, water splashing down her chin and pooling on the fabric of her shirt.

"My apologies." He says, sitting the glass aside once she is finished. A moment of silence passes between them, quickly broken by his inability to remain quiet for long. "Look Angie… I'm real sorry about what happened. Fareeha and I wouldn'ta scared you if we'd known it would happen."

She watches him quietly, her eyes half lidded. "Jesse… It's fine… I will be fine." White lies of course. She had no idea how she was or what the lasting effects of the nanobots would be. She would be running tests on herself for the next month to make sure she would be fine.

"It's not fine. Angie you were dead." His voice cracks and Angela feels her own heart constrict at the sound. The rough riding ex-gang member was close to crying and it brought tears to her own eyes. "When those doors opened… Ana couldn't find a pulse Angie. She tried CPR. She called it. You were dead." A tear slipped down his cheek and always the sympathetic crier Angela felt her own cheeks grow wet. "Because of a little jump scare. We killed you because of a joke."

"J-Jesse… I'm here. I'm not dead okay… I'm here." She tries to console him feebly.

"Then you… You just sort of glowed gold and like something out a scifi book you came gasping on back to life. Angie we thought we'd lost you." His words echo in her head for a moment, a smile tugging at her cheeks and she chuckles. "What is so funny?" He asks as her chuckles turn into weak laughter.

"I-It worked." She gasps, fresh tears slipping down her cheeks. "It worked Jesse."

"What worked?" He asks, brow furrowing with worry for his friend.

"I revived myself!"

 **~* Thanks for reading!*~**


	3. Monster

**~* Ayyyy back with some Angst! Suggestions for prompts are welcome!*~**

-Swiss Headquarter 11:55PM-

Angela sighed, leaning back in her office chair for a well deserved stretch. A myriad of cracks and pops sounded from her neck and shoulders as she lifted her arms above her head, satisfied with the sound the movement brought she hummed. She was just about to close up and save her work when the building shook, a distant explosion rumbling. It sounded almost akin to the growl of an angry lion.

Eyes widening in surprise, Angela felt the firt tendrils of fear settle in her stomach. Rushing to gather her staff she ran toward the source of the sound, toward the middle of the building. Another explosion rumbled deep underfoot as she made a beeline for the main staircase, making her way down. She skidded to a halt in the main foyer as one final explosion shook the very foundation of the building.

Silence settled eerily over the foyer for just a moment. Then all hell broke loose. The ground gave way under Angela's feet and she barely had a chance to scream before falling. Her world went blank after that.

The sound of running water woke her, the feeling of something cold splashing against her face pulling her more toward consciousness. With a whimper she managed to open her eyes, taking in the destruction that surrounded her. Dust floated heavily through the air, allowing only enough light in for Angela to see her immediate surroundings. A water pipe from the floor above was leaking water onto the floor beside her, the water soaking into her black turtle neck.

Clouded blue eyes traveled down toward her body to take stock, finding her left arm and leg to be trapped under the rubble. She was lucky none of it seemed to be overly large. With a shuddering breath she started the long arduous process of removing the rubble, shifting to free herself and sit up when she was finally free. She pulled her staff with her, taking in the broken nano bot housing with a frown.

The building shook as she tried to stand, her heart hammering in her chest as she fear for the worst. She feared her luck would not hold through another collapse. Using her staff to lean on she made her way through the rubble to try and find a way up and out of the wreckage.

Her search for an exit brought her across someone she least expected. She had thought she was alone in the building. "Reyes! Gabriel!" She cries, coughing as she breathed a mouthful of the thick dust. Rushing to his side she takes in the sight before her. He was clinging to life, covered in thick debris. Blood made a thick trail from his hairline down his dust covered cheek. More crimson pooled beneath him, telling her there were more severe injuries hidden beneath the rubble.

Panic seized her heart once more as she rushed to move what she could, her fingers trembling. "J-Just hang in there okay? I'm going to get you out!" Shifting the heavy stone from his chest she let out a small gasp at what she found. His chest was a mess, rebar sticking through his right side. A foamy mixture of blood and bubbles leaked from the wound, his lung collapsing in on itself as negative pressure met positive.

Gabriel Reyes was a dead man.

She didn't have the tools to save his life with her nor did she have nanobots to use-

Angela stopped her train of thought quickly working to remove the rebar from his chest despite knowing he had a better chance of survival if it stayed. With a great deal of effort she threw the blood covered steel aside, tears cutting tracks through the dust coating her cheeks. "I've got you G-Gabe." She sobs, leaning down to rest her forehead against his.

She had no idea what would happen but she had to try. Gritting her teeth she forced the nanobots from within her own body into his. The pain was excruciating, and midway through the transfer she was she she would black out. When it was finally complete she collapsed beside him, tired blue eyes watching as his wounds began to heal.

Angela was about to welcome him back to the world of the living when something in the air shifted. She could smell ozone. Her eyes widened as he sat up, his eyes wide and unseeing... and solid black.

"What have you done... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" He cried, hands clawing at his scarred face. Smoke, black and sooty seeped from his mouth as he spoke. "ANGELA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

To her horror he turned on her, his hands wrapping around her throat. She was far to weak to try and fight him off, her hands clawing feebly at his as he worked to crush her windpipe. Black dots flooded her vision as fresh tears leaked down her cheeks. This was it. This was really it.

Just as unconsciousness pulled her under she could have sworn she heard gun shots...

 **~*Thanks for reading!*~**


	4. The Aftermath

She felt as though she were adrift at sea. Her body floating peacefully along with the current and her mind blissfully blank. It was so peaceful considering everything she had just gone through.

Wait...

Her mind struggles to grasp at the memories that flood the calm ocean causing the current to become choppy. She remembered working late at the Swiss Headquarters on a new application for nano technology. She remember explosions and falling through the floor. She remembered...

Gabriel.

Blue eyes fluttered open as consciousness return to her with crashing waves of realization. She coughs, her throat raw and burning from the harsh movement. Tears slip down her cheeks as she regains her breath. It was obvious she was in a hospital room but she didn't know where exactly nor did she know how she had arrived.

Trying to sit up to take in her surroundings better she lets out a hiss of pain, her left side protesting the movement. Angela cringed looking down to find her exposed left arm wrapped in a thick cast. It was foolish, she thought, her nanobots would take care of the injury soon enough.

Her blue eyes fluttered shut as she remembered she didn't exactly have nanobots to spare after the stunt she pulled. Her thoughts turned dark then as she decided she deserved the pain for what she had done.

She had created a monster and now he was gone. Someone scared and alone as his body went through unknown changes. She could only theorize what the nanobots would do to him and nothing that came to mind was in any way good.

There was a soft knock at the door, tired blue eyes fluttered open to find the hulking form of Reinhardt standing in the doorway. He ducked through the entrance with a gentle smile on his face. "Wie geht es dir, Liebling?" Angela could feel the lie bubbling up in her throat but something in the tone of his voice stopped her, tears welling in her eyes. He say on the side on her bed, his weight causing the springs to creak. "Shhshhshh none of that now. It is okay now."

Despite the pain she sits up, wrapping her arms around as much of him as she could. He returned the favor, quietly rocking her back and forth.

Of all the lessons she had learned... Angela was sure this one was one of the hardest.

 **~*Translation: "How are you, Darling?" Thanks for reading!*~**


End file.
